


Aetas In The Dark

by DregranEntropy



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-05
Updated: 2017-08-05
Packaged: 2018-12-11 10:41:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11712729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DregranEntropy/pseuds/DregranEntropy
Summary: Who is Aetas?





	Aetas In The Dark

Aetas didn’t court war anymore. He didn’t crave power or have desire to fight strong enemies. His only goal now was knowledge. This book glorified the magical war. It spoke of all the good that came from war, perhaps the only good, in the form of technological advancements and dispute ending. Aetas didn’t have to pay attention to the world’s affairs to know the latter would never end.

He sat in this library, atop one of the gigantic bookcases. No one had complained about his position, so it must have been acceptable, though his radiant aura would drive most away. The library was far quieter now than it was when he entered, to which the sole librarian would enjoy, he guessed.

The final page of the book mentioned something about true selves. Although we gain from war, we must never forget the faces of those we kill. We must never forget what we are in the dark. What was Aetas? What is he in the dark?

The Ascendant closed the book, levitating in his crossed legged position, moving around to where he obtained the book just below his chosen seat. He unfolded his legs and lightly fell to solid ground. He no longer had an ambition. He simply obtained knowledge. A few decades ago, the opposite was true.

Aetas could remember everything from the moment his True Name was sealed. He closed his eyes, rummaging through his memories. A mural of faces flashed past, Aetas remembering every person’s death. Some he killed with his mental prowess, some he pulled apart, some he disposed of with a single swing.

These people still meant nothing to him. He didn’t lament his past ways, not even his path of hatred to take down his brother. His mind burned when he thought of this, the mental barrier desperately trying to push him away from destruction. Aetas continued his observation of the mural, as if searching for a particular face.

The elderly, infants, mortals, people with no connection to his motives all flashed past, Aetas remembering it all. He saw the final face before his confrontation with his brother, and the mural ended. There was no one he regretted killing. Aetas opened his eyes.

He realised he was glowing, distracted from suppressing his visible magic. Once again, his glow disappeared and a gold suit clung to his body. The only mages still in the library either didn’t notice or didn’t care. The feelings were mutual, as Aetas no longer cared about others.

What is he in the dark? What has become of him? These questions circulated as he walked out of the library. Knowledge? Is that what he now desired? He passed mages in the graffiti littered street, none of them thinking twice of the person they passed. They didn’t know whom Aetas had killed. They didn’t know if he had killed someone dear to them.

Aetas stopped. The book was wrong. War didn’t give the darkest memories. He had been alive for millennia, yet all those years ago, when his hatred for his brother was strongest, the memory of living in shadow was the most vivid.

Although he didn’t move, his head erupted in pain. Vengeful feelings, even a memory of vengeful feelings, triggered the mental barrier and notified his brother of his location. That’s who Aetas was in the dark. He is still standing in the shadow of his brother.

He turned, and re-entered the library. He knew where to look, levitating to a section on the far right wall. He pulled a book from the bookcase and rose to the top, sitting crossed legged once again. _The Power of a Mental Illusion_ was the book he chose. He didn’t want fame or glory. He didn’t want revenge. Aetas wanted to surpass his brother. That was his initial goal. That was who he was in the dark.

**Author's Note:**

> RP character story from a writing prompt


End file.
